Managing hot sweats and fatigue with hormone therapy

What causes hot sweats?

• You may hear hot sweats being called:
  • Hot flushes
  • Hot flashes
• Testosterone is a male sex hormone (an androgen).
• Hormone therapy blocks or lowers the amount of testosterone in your body.
• This causes hot sweats.
• Some types of hormone therapy are more likely to cause hot sweats than others. This can vary between patients. 
• You can talk to your healthcare team about hot sweats before you start your therapy.

Visit our dedicated hormone injections page to find out more about the risks of hormone therapy injections. Link will open in a new tab.

Visit our dedicated hormone tablets page to find out more about the risks of hormone therapy tablets. Link will open in a new tab.

• The feeling can vary between people.
• Many people experience a feeling of heat in the upper body. This often starts in the face or neck. 
• Severe hot sweats make you feel very hot and sweaty. You may need a change of clothes. 
• Your actual temperature does not usually rise during the sweat. 
• You may get reddening of the skin.
• You may feel anxious or irritated.
• Some people may get feel their heart: 
  • Racing
  • beating very fast 
  • pounding or thumping
  • fluttering

This is called having palpitations.  If these palpitations:

• Carry on after the hot flush has finished or  
• You begin to feel ill or faint or
• You experience chest pain 
• Contact 111 or 999 immediately. 

• It is quite common to get sweats at night. 
• These are called night sweats.
• Night sweats can affect the quality of your sleep. 
• You may not realise that this is happening. But you may begin to feel more fatigued during the day. 

• Hot sweats often begin within the first three weeks of starting therapy.
• They may decrease in frequency over time for some. 
• Some men say that they get used to hot sweats over time. This means they feel better able to cope with them. Others cope less well. 
• A sweat usually lasts about 3-4 minutes but it can be longer for some. 
• They can happen 6-10 times per day and into the night. 

Fatigue is: 

• a feeling of extreme tiredness that doesn’t get better after sleep or rest
• A lack of energy and motivation mentally and/or physically.
• It is not the same as the tiredness you may get after staying up late or exercising too much. These are usually helped by sleep and rest. 

• Low levels of testosterone
• Disrupted sleep because of hot sweats
• Mild anaemia – this means you have fewer red blood cells than normal. 
• Mild anaemia is a common symptom of hormone therapy. However, as there may be other causes it is a good idea to visit your GP for a check up. 

• Fatigue can vary a lot. Everyone is different. You may feel different levels of fatigue on different days. 
• Extreme fatigue can sometimes stop you from carrying out your normal activities
• On good days you may be able to carry on working or getting involved in social or leisure activities. 
• It may be a good idea to keep a diary. You can note down
  • When you feel fatigued
  • What you are doing
  • The time of day
  • Your moods and emotions
• You can share this with your healthcare team.

• You may feel: 
  • Less motivated
  • Frustrated
  • Less able to concentrate on anything
  • Down and low in mood.
• It may also affect your sex life.

• Everyone is different. It may last a few months or much longer.
• It can sometimes last for a time after hormone treatment has ended.